A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Superior Court alleges that General Mills improperly labeled granola bars containing traces of a common pesticide as "100% natural."
The complaint -- filed by the Organic Consumers Association, Beyond Pesticides and Moms Across America -- argued that labels on the company's Nature Valley products were "deceptive and misleading" because tests showed evidence of glyphosate.
Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup and other products, is the world's most commonly used pesticide, but it drew increasing scrutiny after an arm of the World Health Organization classified it as a possible carcinogen last year.
Although a recent study found that many breakfast foods contained traces of the pesticide, the levels were far below federal exposure standards -- and this week's lawsuit did not take issue with its potential health effects.
Instead, the plaintiffs argued that the granola bars "cannot be considered ‘natural’ because [glyphosate] is a toxic, synthetic herbicide."
“Food grown with dangerous pesticides like glyphosate isn’t natural. Consumers understand this. That’s why sales of natural products are booming," the OCA’s Alexis Baden-Mayer said in a statement. "Unfortunately, companies’ misleading claims trick consumers into buying just what they’re trying to avoid. This has to be stopped.”
General Mills did not immediately respond to the filing. A class-action lawsuit filed earlier this year targeted Quaker Oats, also labeled "100% natural," over glyphosate traces.
Nature Valley was previously the subject of a 2012 lawsuit over several ingredients that critics claimed violated its "natural" labeling.
